Collective Construction by Termites and Other Robots

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Abstract

Termites build
huge, complex structures through the collective actions of millions of
independent agents. These natural systems inspire the research area of
collective construction, whose goal is to develop autonomous multi-robot
systems that build large-scale structures according to user specifications. I
will discuss the design and realization of such a system in which climbing
robots flexibly build structures using specialized building blocks. Robots
act independently under decentralized control, using local information,
onboard sensing, and implicit coordination through manipulation of a shared
environment. A user can specify a target structure using a high-level
representation, and robots follow simple rules that guarantee the correct
completion of that structure. I will also briefly discuss ongoing
experimental studies of African termites, aimed at better understanding their
individual behaviors and how these give rise to the structures they produce.